To the Cultivators seated on the observation platform, the late stage of Qi Cultivation was nothing special. Most of those invited were clan elders or Patriarchs. They were used to seeing talented juniors and had plenty of subordinates at the late stage of Qi Cultivation.

But for someone who had only gone through their Initiation a month ago to instantly kill a late-stage Qi Cultivation practitioner in a single blow—that was terrifying.

They dared not even imagine what realm such a peerless genius could reach in the future.

What made the crowd even more wary was that Zhong Ming’s figure hadn’t even appeared when he killed the late-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator. This also meant that what they were seeing was not the limit of his abilities.

"..."

"Longxi Peak has truly produced a hidden dragon this time!"

Sighs of emotion rose one after another. At this moment, everyone understood why the three Vice Tower Lords of the Golden Jade Tower had come together.

If they had encountered such a peerless genius, they too would have befriended and invested in him to pave the way for the future.

"As expected of the Golden Jade Tower. They truly have a keen eye..."

Many of the Patriarchs wore expressions of deep envy. What they didn’t know was that Yi Qing’s knuckles had long since turned white from clenching her fists. It took a great deal of effort for her to suppress the astonishment in her eyes.

The scene on the celestial screen had shaken her Heart Spirit to its very core.

Because of Yi Yunya’s decision to bet everything, she had mentally prepared herself for Zhong Ming to be strong.

But in her mind, Zhong Ming should have been locked in a long struggle with the Demonic Fiend, finally killing it after great effort. That would have fit the growth trajectory of a "peerless genius."

An instant kill was simply outrageous.

Of course, she also knew that Zhong Ming had managed this with a stealth attack while invisible.

But being able to conceal one’s own form and avoid detection by Demonic Fiends was a skill in and of itself.

In fact, it was an extremely powerful ability, one that Yi Qing found particularly noteworthy.

’There is nothing more terrifying than an unseen enemy. If Zhong Ming can remain invisible at all times, he will bring endless fear and despair to his foes.’

’Moreover, remaining constantly invisible would also grant him the ultimate guarantee of safety.’

If Demonic Fiends wanted to surround and kill a peerless genius, they first had to find him. If Zhong Ming were to always remain unseen while traveling or carrying out missions, his enemies would never find an opportunity to ambush him, even if they wanted to.

’Yun Ya, you made the right bet. Zhong Ming is indeed qualified to be a Celestial Level retainer.’

If Yi Qing could imagine how terrifying an invisible Zhong Ming would be, then naturally, so could others.

"With Zhong Ming around, as long as he doesn’t die, Longxi Peak and the Seven Profound Sect are secure!"

The guests invited by the Seven Profound Sect were mostly aligned with its interests. Upon discovering that the sect showed no signs of decline, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

At the same time, the gazes these guests directed at the three great families became quite playful.

As for the three great families, they felt their scalps tingle with dread.

With grim expressions, their only mental comfort was that they were not acting alone. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’With the Six Extremes Demon Sect on our side, we can’t lose... right?’

...

While the people outside were shaken by Zhong Ming, those in front of the City Lord’s Mansion who witnessed the scene—be they human or demon—were utterly terrified.

That late-stage Qi Cultivation Demon had been instantly killed by Zhong Ming’s single blow. None of the others believed they could survive such an attack.

With such a dangerous figure lurking in the shadows, who wouldn’t be tense and anxious?

At this moment, Han Yu was overcome with lingering fear.

’Phew, thank goodness I sensed something was off back then and didn’t act rashly. Otherwise, I’d be a goner.’

He... wasn’t a complete idiot. He hadn’t flown into a rage despite Yi Yunya’s constant provocations, and it wasn’t just out of loyalty to a fellow disciple.

He had sensed something was wrong at the time and swallowed his anger. Now, the death of the Demon Ape proved he had made the right choice.

Zhong Ming’s presence, hidden in the shadows, caused the intensity of the battle in this area to drop significantly. The humans and monsters who were fighting and still had some sense about them all diverted a portion of their attention to guard their surroundings vigilantly.

Only the disciples of Longxi Peak were filled with soaring morale, fighting even more audaciously than before.

"It feels so damn good to have someone watching your back!"

"Found it!"

As the Longxi Peak disciples battled the surrounding Demonic Fiends, a cry rang out.

It was Yi Yunya. She had found a stone tablet on the slain Demon Ape, with a message written on it.

Zhong Ming, looking down from his high vantage point, read the message as well.

[Middle Section of the South City Wall. At 7:45 PM, place the stone into the gap, and a small door will open.]

Seeing this, Zhong Ming immediately understood the requirement for clearing the Heaven-Filling Array Map.

’So we need to hold out until 7:45 PM? Knowing Elder Wei’s temperament, the process won’t be easy... In the final moments, all the Demonic Fiends in town will probably grow restless and swarm us.’

Although he anticipated the difficulty to come, finding the way through still excited Zhong Ming.

At the same time, having found the clue and obtained the key item, the members of Longxi Peak could now leave.

This scene made Su Lingya completely desperate.

The bizarre paper effigies were a terrible matchup for her Cuixiang Mountain. While other groups might be able to surround and kill a late-stage Qi Cultivation Demonic Fiend, if their own battle continued, it was highly likely that Cuixiang Mountain would be completely wiped out.

With this in mind, Su Lingya immediately called out in the direction of Longxi Peak, "Senior Brother, please help us."

She knew that words and appeals to "sect solidarity" alone wouldn’t be enough to persuade Zhong Ming’s group, their competitors, to save them.

Therefore, right after speaking, she immediately stated her terms:

"If Senior Brother helps us destroy these paper effigy Evil Spirits, Cuixiang Mountain will give you thirty percent of all the points we earn."

Offering up thirty percent of their points was a gesture of submission. As such, Zhong Ming agreed to Cuixiang Mountain’s request.

"Done!"

As Zhong Ming’s voice fell, the disciples of Longxi Peak immediately charged toward the strange paper effigies.

Zhong Ming, too, turned his attention to the strange paper effigies.

SWOOSH!

Since Longxi Peak and Cuixiang Mountain were not far apart, the strange paper effigy had felt it when Zhong Ming killed the Demon Ape in a single blow.

Because of this, sensing that something was wrong, it immediately summoned many of its minions to surround and protect it tightly.

’This monster is quite intelligent. A pity it’s useless.’

The strange paper effigy, defending and on high alert, indeed left Zhong Ming with no immediate opening to attack.

None of the late-stage Qi Cultivation Demons manifested by Elder Wei Jingcheng with the Heaven-Filling Array Map were weak.

But Zhong Ming wasn’t the only one on this battlefield. By focusing all its energy on defense and summoning its minions to guard it, the Evil Spirit’s own power diminished, and the tide of battle quickly turned in favor of Longxi Peak and Cuixiang Mountain.

After wiping out the ordinary Evil Spirits, Yi Yunya, Xue Yao, Zhuang Yi, Lin Yuxuan, Su Lingya, and the others were no longer held back and joined forces to besiege the strange paper effigy.

These were not weak individuals. All sorts of Magic Techniques and Sword Lights rained down on the strange paper effigy. The impenetrable assault made it extremely uncomfortable.

What made things worst for it was having to reserve most of its energy to stay on constant guard against a sneak attack from Zhong Ming.

This restrictive way of fighting put it in one perilous situation after another within a single minute.

And this made the strange paper effigy completely lose its temper.

After several near-death experiences, it finally stopped caring about Zhong Ming and focused all its energy on Xue Yao, Yi Yunya, and the others.

BAM!

The instant its attention shifted, [Longxi Sword Drawing: Dragon of the Heavy Abyss Vortex (Shadow)] was unleashed.

The ferocious attack instantly tore the strange paper effigy to shreds.

"Sigh..."

Its sudden death left Su Lingya and the other Cuixiang Mountain disciples in a daze.

"Just like that... it’s dead?"

"Was it really that easy to kill?"

It was no wonder Su Lingya and the others were stunned. Before, they had been completely helpless against the paper effigy monster, and more than half of their disciples had been killed.

Such a difficult enemy had been blasted to smithereens in less than three minutes after Longxi Peak joined the fray. This vast disparity inevitably left them with complex feelings.

And soon, they discovered another benefit of aligning themselves with Zhong Ming.

Monsters poured out from the City Lord’s Mansion in a constant, unending stream.

After the paper effigy monster was killed, more Demonic Fiends immediately swarmed in to take its place.

In response, the disciples of Longxi Peak and Cuixiang Mountain naturally charged forward to fight them.

And in any battle, crises are unavoidable.

The Cuixiang Mountain disciples, in particular, were weaker in combat. As a result, not long after the fighting began, some of them found themselves in danger.

Before, if they had found themselves in peril, they could only close their eyes and wait for death.

But now, the situation was completely different.

SWOOSH!

Water droplets shot across the battlefield like bullets.

Whenever a Cuixiang Mountain disciple was in danger, a water droplet would always fly over at lightning speed and strike the monster.

The droplets contained immense power. No matter the monster, whether Demonic Fiend or ghost, contact meant the force would be transferred into its body, and it would explode.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

For a time, the sound of exploding monsters echoed ceaselessly across the battlefield. With Zhong Ming’s covering fire saving everyone, the Cuixiang Mountain disciples fought for a long time without a single one of them dying.

"This is awesome!"

This exhilarating feeling of being able to kill enemies without worrying about danger excited the Cuixiang Mountain disciples.

At this moment, they even felt the urge to cry.

"We should have teamed up with Longxi Peak from the start!"

"Yeah, if we had been under Senior Brother Zhong Ming’s protection earlier, how could so many of our Cuixiang Mountain disciples have died?"

While the ordinary disciples were merely emotional, Su Lingya was shaken by Zhong Ming’s power and strategic capabilities.

’He’s too strong.’

’To be able to survey the entire battlefield and, when a disciple is in danger, rescue them with such precision in the nick of time... Even if I reached the late stage of Qi Cultivation, I don’t think I could do that.’

’A Sword Cultivator is essential. Cuixiang Mountain must maintain a good relationship with Longxi Peak.’

As Cuixiang Mountain’s First Senior Sister, Su Lingya considered not just the present, but also the future.

Zhong Ming’s immense combat power made Su Lingya consider hitching Cuixiang Mountain’s wagon to his.

As she thought of this, she looked toward Xie Yushuang—the closest link between Cuixiang Mountain and Zhong Ming.

Then, turning her head, she saw that Xie Yushuang was already completely surrounded by disciples from Cuixiang Mountain.

Having survived the previous tragic battle, the remaining Cultivators of Cuixiang Mountain all understood the cruelty of this trial.

And they did not believe it was over.

’Lord Zhong Ming is benevolent and kind; he will rescue us when we’re in danger. But even he can’t possibly save every single one of us as the trial grows more and more difficult.’

’At a time like this, whoever has the closest relationship with Lord Zhong Ming will surely be the first one he saves.’

The Cuixiang Mountain disciples who realized this naturally began to curry favor with Xie Yushuang, hoping to gain some favor in Zhong Ming’s eyes.

After all, the longer one lasted in the trial, the greater the rewards.

’If I get close to Xie Yushuang, I might even be able to raise my final rating by a whole level!’

With everyone fawning over her, Xie Yushuang became the glorious center of attention. At this moment, there were even more people gathered around her than around Su Lingya.

"..."

Being the center of so much attention, reverence, and flattery from her fellow disciples made it difficult for Xie Yushuang to keep her heart calm.

At the same time, a thought began to form clearly in her mind.

’After I go back this time, there will definitely be a place for me among Cuixiang Mountain’s Inner Sect Disciples... That will be true no matter how poorly I perform in the trial.’

This realization was not exclusive to Xie Yushuang; the other Cuixiang Mountain disciples could sense it as well.

And this caused the looks everyone gave Xie Yushuang to be filled not only with flattery, but also... envy and jealousy!

’Why wasn’t I the one by Senior Brother Zhong Ming’s side back then!’